Iyengar

hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs attention from an expert in Ethnic groups. Please add a reason or a talk parameter to this template to explain the issue with the article. WikiProject Ethnic groups may be able to help recruit an expert. (April 2015) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (April 2015) This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Iyengar

1855 illustration of an Iyengar with religious symbols on the body and holding a vessel of water in the hand.
Regions with significant populations
India Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana .
Languages
Tamil, Sanskrit
Religion
Hinduism (Sri Vaishnavism)

Iyengars (also Ayyangars or Aiyengars) ([əjːəŋɡɑːr]) are an ethnoreligious group of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mostly in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Iyengars are divided into two sects, the Vadakalai and the Thenkalai. As with other Brahmin communities, they are also classified based on their gotra, or patrilineal descent, and the Veda they follow. Iyengars belong to the Pancha Dravida Brahmana sub-classification of Brahmins.

Etymology[]

There are several opinions regarding the etymology of the term Iyengar (Tamil: ஐயங்கார், pronounced [əjəŋɡɑːɾ]). One is that Iyengar derives from the Proto-Dravidian word ayya-garu (